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New cancer drug covid friendly

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Posted 8/3/2020 3:47 PM (GMT 0)
https://www.yahoo.com/news/nhs-roll-covid-friendly-cancer-161839303.html

Many patients have seen chemotherapy paused because the treatment is so toxic that it depletes the immune system and puts people at much greater risk from coronavirus.

Now the government has sped up approval for state-of-the-art drugs which are far safer for patients and allow treatment to continue.
Patients may now be able to take tablets at home or receive medicines with fewer side-effects instead of undergoing grueling hospital-based treatment that can leave them more susceptible to coronavirus and other infections.
PCa mentioned. Too bad it is in England.

EDIT: Post edited to make link clickable

Post Edited By Moderator (Pratoman) : 8/3/2020 10:20:54 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 8/4/2020 1:20 AM (GMT 0)

Hello, Mr. Bill ~

This article shines a light on an important issue ---- finding ways to continue essential treatments during the current pandemic.

I hope all our "comrades in the battle" find ways to get the healthcare they need.

I am currently helping a friend, serving as a "chemo coach" --- and my friend just reached the halfway milestone in the treatment regimen.

Care and precautions are being taken, to ensure that my friend's treatments continue. Compromised immunity is the paramount concern ... but my friend is determined and doing well, thankfully.

Thanks for sharing this article ~ good insight ~
CYCLONE --- # Iowa State University
Posted 8/4/2020 12:08 PM (GMT 0)
Actually I am taking a oral chemo drug at home (zytiga)... I only go in once a month for my shot ADT..
Posted 8/4/2020 5:04 PM (GMT 0)
A couple of times while undergoing chemo I was admitted with Neutropenic fever. The Oncologist had given me a card to present at emergency room if temperature went to 100.4. Sure got there attention at ER and moved me to fast track quarantine. This was about three years ago before all the Covid mess.
Posted 8/4/2020 6:15 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, when I went through chemotherapy infusions, some time back, my oncologist watched over me like a hawk.

He was protective, cautionary, and compassionate --- and cognizant of the fact that I was a school teacher.

He reminded me that a fever over 100 degrees was a reason to get to the clinic, day or night.

Once, I spiked a fever and he almost admitted me to the hospital.

Soon enough, it was deemed that NEULASTA injections were necessary for me, due to compromised immunity.

I have no doubt those shots helped bolster my immunity, and helped "get me to the finish line" in my series of treatments.

Today, the pandemic has thrown many curveballs into the healthcare landscape --- with additional precautions and considerations.

My monthly lab appointments and monthly doctor visits and timely scans have continued since the pandemic started --- with great attention given to every oncology patient's safety and continued care needs.

They have thoughtfully taken every precaution possible ...

Very thankful to the staff, their attention to new protocols, and diligence ---

Hoping all readers here are receiving their essential care during these times-
CYCLONE ~ # Iowa State University
Posted 8/4/2020 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
Cyclone,
Sounds like you have a great oncology team. After my second visit to ER I too had Neulasta. I don't
understand why they don't start it right along with first infusion.
My oncologist has decided I should be on 6 month treatment plan. I prefer the three month. Even though taking daily Zytiga & Prednisone. Maybe get back to 3 when all the dust settles.
Mr. Bill
Posted 8/6/2020 12:30 PM (GMT 0)

Hello, Mr. Bill ~

My understanding from my oncologist, in answer to your question ...

NEULASTA injections are expensive, and so I was given the first chemotherapy infusion.

Then, by the time of my second treatment, my labs showed that my immune system needed to be bolstered ...

It was at the point that the NEULASTA would then be covered by my insurance, because of proven patient need.

Continued labs were done throughout chemotherapy, and my need for NEULASTA continued, to bolster immunity.

A strange twist ~ I always had to return to the clinic the next day, for the NEULASTA shot ~ insurance restrictions mandated that it had to be given 24 or more hours AFTER each chemotherapy infusion.

So, my oncology care nurses documented the time each chemotherapy treatment finished, then I would return the next day, late in the afternoon, and the NEULASTA shot would be given, and the time was documented to prove it was given 24 hours after the chemotherapy treatment.

They now have a NEULASTA injection "patch" that is placed on a patient's arm and it automatically injects NEULASTA into a patient's arm, on a timer, in the comfort of one's home, after a chemotherapy treatment.

You may have seen the NEULASTA commercials in recent months to bolster immunity for chemotherapy patients.

Not every chemotherapy patient needs NEULASTA, but my immune system definitely crashed, so NEULASTA was definitely warranted in my case.

It was an unexpected little twist --- having to return the next day after a chemotherapy treatment to get the NEULASTA shot, due to insurance coverage protocols.

I know my oncology nurses personally felt it was inconvenient for their patients, and they were very careful to document that a full 24 hours had passed since the chemotherapy treatment the day before, to ensure insurance coverage for patients like me.

I felt it gave me an extra measure of protection. I was thankful my insurance covered the NEULASTA injections.

Stay strong, stay determined, keep living life!
CYCLONE ~ # Iowa State University
Posted 8/6/2020 12:51 PM (GMT 0)
On a related topic, an essay in Nature

Crosstalk between COVID-19 and prostate cancer (2020)

"Abstract
A new coronavirus, named SARS-CoV-2, emerged in Wuhan city, China, in December 2019 causing atypical pneumonia and affecting multiple body organs. The rapidly increasing numbers of infected patients and deaths due to COVID-19 disease necessitated declaring it as a global pandemic. Efforts were combined since then to rapidly develop a treatment and/or a vaccine to combat the deadly virus. Drug repurposing approach has been pursued as a temporary management tactic to treat COVID-19 patients. However, reports about the efficacy of many of the used drugs had been controversial with a dire need to keep the ongoing efforts for rapid development of new treatments. Promising data came out pointing to a possible hidden liaison between prostate cancer (PCa) and COVID-19, where androgen-deprivation therapies (ADT) used in PCa had been shown to instigate a protective role against COVID-19. Delving into the possible mechanisms underlying the crosstalk between COVID-19 and PCa alludes a potential association between SARS-CoV-2 targets on host epithelial cells and PCa genetic aberrations and molecular signatures, including AR and TMPRSS2. The question remains: Can PCa treatments serve as potential therapeutic options for COVID-19 patients?"

[Emphasis mine]

See the Full Text for details
Posted 8/7/2020 12:11 AM (GMT 0)
Cyclone,
After two separate trips to ER after two separate infusions I finally was able to have the pod, or whatever they call it, attached to my arm. A great deal more convenient than receiving Neulasta and being quarantined (this was several years back) until WBC came back up. The insurance providers should anticipate what is coming next.

Djin Tonic,
Maybe we can squeeze one more benefit out of those nasty side effects.
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